Andy Cook sat down with Canaries TV after his appointment as Norwich City Women head coach.
First of all, welcome to Norwich City. How excited are you to be appointed as the new head coach of Norwich City Women?
I'm delighted to be here. Looking around the facilities, meeting some of the players and the staff has been brilliant. Everybody at the club has welcomed me, Ben (Knapper) and Flo (Allen) and all the staff behind them. It's been fantastic, I can't wait to get going in July and get working in pre-season, excited to get going.
You mentioned the facilities and chats with Flo and Ben, what sort of vision do you have and are you in the right environment to implement that?
Absolutely. The thing for myself as a coach was that I wanted to work in a place and environment where I could shape and help model something that is going to progress long-term and it's going to challenge me, and it's going to a city like Norwich and a club like Norwich. When I came and met with Flo and came to the training ground, it's as good as anywhere in the country. I think it's a secret that you've all been keeping here over in Norfolk, because the facilities here are unbelievable!
You've had a couple of successful years with Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, why is now the right time to move on from there?
It's the ambition I have as a head coach, I want to lead a team and work in an environment where everyone can flourish and make sure everyone is pushing on. What we've got here at Norwich, in terms of the infrastructure, the staffing, the players, and the club itself is a fantastic place. There's a new head coach for the men's team, and myself coming in too. Everything is going in one direction. It's going to be a lot of hard work, there's a lot of stuff that needs to work on the training pitch to get to that point. I'm just really excited to put into practice what I've learned over the last five or six years.
Can you give us an insight into how an Andy Cook team looks and plays?
It's one where we've got to fight and battle for every ball, we've got to make sure that's the first and foremost, we earn the right to play. That's something that people listening who have played for me previously and anyone that knows me that'll be the first thing that comes out my mouth every session and every game. If we don't earn the right, there's no point, it doesn't matter who we're playing against. That's the first and foremost, everyone will see when they come to watch. After that, if we're in the right place and we've done that, we can start to play football. It's important for me that we get the ball down and play, and that we're fluid in our shape and possession. We want to be aggressive out of it, and then nice and calm and composed when we're in it. It'll be an exciting time and an exciting thing for the fans to come and watch, hopefully an environment where the players can thrive and enjoy every moment.
This is the first time this has been made a full-time position, does that bring added pressure or does it make it more exciting?
I don't think it's more exciting. When I joined Nottingham Forest, it was the exact same process. It was the first time they had a full-time head coach for the women's side, so for me it's nothing new. It's something that I've done and done relatively successfully, in terms of winning the league there and then moving on to Newcastle. It was the first-time that the women's team were completely full-time, working in an environment where you had 35, 40 members of staff, players, all full-time for the first time. For me, it's nothing new and I believe that the experience I have is going to help Norwich, the city and the football club grow and I believe that is matched with the passion and enthusiasm that Flo and club have for what they want to do. We want to work through the leagues, and work to a high enough place and we want to make sure that we focus on what we can do in pre-season first. That's where it all starts, in July and we get all the balls out and start playing. It goes back to my previous answer, we've got to get the ball down and play, and earn the right. That starts with me, and it's exciting to be here and for the challenge, but it's nothing new for myself as it's something I've been through. I'm excited to help Norwich and the players on this journey.
Last season, there were a lot of highs, but the club ultimately missed out on promotion. Is that a good foundation for you to start with?
Looking at some of the games, as well as the fixtures and results, it's something that the players will have learned a lot from. From speaking with them, they are full of enthusiasm, excitement, and grit and determination to make sure they're in the right place at the end of the season. They know from speaking to me that it's going to start in pre-season. Last season doesn't matter anymore, and there's new teams in the league as well. Some good teams, players and coaches will be working against us and we've got to show them the respect they deserve. For me, what the club did last season was excellent, almost an unbeaten season with one defeat, the victories that they had were fantastic. Wimbledon were a very good side, I had played them previously so I know they are quality. Now it's our turn to make sure we're in the right place and that starts in July with pre-season.
There have been a lot of big steps for Norwich City Women in the last couple seasons, most notably being the games at Carrow Road. What have you learned in your previous roles in terms of the off-field side of the game that you can bring to the club?
One of the players asked the game kind of question, in terms of what's going to be the difference-maker. For me, it's having that experience of playing at St James' Park in front of 30,000 people, that was fantastic. The fans up there are unbelievable. I'm from the north-east, but I'm not a Newcastle fan, and until I started working there I didn't realise how big it was. At Carrow Road, I know we had over 7,000 and it's something that when we play a game, we love to see the fans fill the stadium as much as they can and get behind the players. For me, there's no such thing as pressure. We're there playing a game of football, and it doesn't matter if it's at The Nest or at Carrow Road, there's still four white lines you need to keep the ball within, and you've got to score at one of the goals and keep it out of the other. Doesn't matter what the stadium is, we need to make sure we're playing and in the right frame of mind, that it's relaxed and comfortable, and that everyone is enjoying what they're doing. That's what we've got to start working on from July in pre-season. If we get that and earn the right, we'll be good to go. It's always exciting to play at the home stadium of the club, especially a really historic stadium like Carrow Road. I'm excited to work there and play there.
Personally, this involves a relocation for yourself. How comfortable are you with that and is it something that is just part of the game?
It's exactly that, you know when you go into this role and this industry, as many people do. Relocation is going to happen, and it happens all the time. I've worked around the country, whether that's Newcastle, Oxford, Nottingham and now here at Norwich. It's something that you have to do, and ultimately you choose the people you work for. Everyone I've met here at Norwich has been fantastic, and speaking to the staff and the players, it's just fantastic. I can't wait to get going. The fact that I have to move to Norfolk, it's something that I'm really excited about. I've heard there's a lot of good things around here, some of the places that I've never really visited before. I'm excited to visit the area, and see what Norfolk has to offer.
Lastly, if you had a message to give to the supporters, what would that be?
It would be to come and show your support as much as you can week in, week out. The girls will love it when there's thousands of fans coming to watch us, whether that is at Carrow Road or The Nest. We're going to be doing everything we can to put on a show every time that we go and play. We'll be representing the club and the city as proudly as everyone wants. If we can do that on the field, the support shown off it, it'll be a recipe for success this season.